Bab 18: Chapter 18: A Good Deed

The sun, which had risen high enough to overcome the walls of the castle, finally sent its rays through the windows of the guest rooms and then onto the bed where Edwin was sleeping. Edwin, disturbed by the bright light, turned his head uncomfortably away from the windows. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked around sleepily.

Straightened up a little with his back against the headboard, Edwin turned his head towards the source of the light that had awakened him from his sleep. When he saw the windows with their curtains open, he let out a annoyed sigh.

Next, Edwin turned his head to the pendulum clock hanging on the wall. When he saw that it was half past ten, he realized that it was too late to go back to sleep and reluctantly climbed out of bed.

Not wanting to be late for breakfast, he drowsily made his way to the bathroom as soon as he got up. He entered the bathroom and started walking towards the wooden sink. Just as Edwin was about to wash his hands, he saw his reflection in the mirror on the side and froze in his place.

He was wearing yesterday's clothes, but that was not what caught his attention. Edwin's eyes widened as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror and he nervously lowered his head. What he found was a large bulge in his pants.

"..."

Edwin knew what it was. But what surprised him was that this was the first time in his life that something like this had happened to him. It's important to say that he was twenty one years old.

"This has never happened before... I think something started to change in my body when I came to this world." Edwin said with a strange expression on his face.

"After breakfast I'd better hurry to the temple to tell a priest about it and ask him what I should do. If I walk around with these strange symptoms any longer, I will surely be the victim of some misunderstandings."

He closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths in and out. After a while, when his pants were back in order, he opened his eyes once more and checked that place around his pants again.

With a sigh of relief that everything was back to normal, Edwin decided to take a cold shower before he went down for breakfast. He thought he needed it to clear both his body and his head.

...

Meanwhile, in the center of a large room, around a long table, three people were sitting and two of them were talking. Although it seemed like they were having a conversation, it was more like a one-sided talk. They were Ravus and Amber sitting next to each other on the right side of the table, with Salina at the head. Apart from them, Aveline and Olivia were also in the room, standing respectfully in a corner together.

Ravus puffed out his chest proudly and showed Amber the star-shaped medal on his vest.

"Look Amber, the empress herself gave me this badge of valor for my bravery! I was deemed worthy of it for successfully defeating some fiends who had taken up residence in the ruins of the empire's northern region. What do you think, it looks good, doesn't it?" Ravus' eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Wow, great..." Amber spoke listlessly.

She was looking at the empty plate in front of her with bored eyes, with her arms crossed under her ample breasts. Amber was wearing a simple, blue and white blouse that highlighted her breasts and a knee-length white skirt. Also, she was sitting one leg over the other on her seat and didn't even look at Ravus as she answered him.

Ravus was not demoralized by Amber's attitude, on the contrary, he was pleased to get an answer. He had gotten used to Amber's behaviors over the years. So, he continued to talk to her with a smile on his face. Of course, before he spoke, he made sure to take a few glances at her long shapely legs.

"Actually, this is a very rare honor in the history of the empire that very few people of my age have ever received. Anyway, let's skip this topic. You know Amber, my little sister has been complaining to me again about her fiancé. She told me that he was always looking at other women. Hahaha, that's a funny situation, right?"

"Hmm..." Amber rolled her eyes and hummed, seemed bored.

"What I mean is, his fiancée is the chosen champion of the Goddess Aria. People like him have rarely lived their lives with only one woman throughout history. What did she think would happen? She was the one who wanted to marry him and now she's complaining at the very engagement stage. Haaa... If she had listened to me at the beginning, she wouldn't have faced such problems."

"..." Amber didn't even answer this time. But she frowned at his words, 'the chosen champion'. The possibility that Edwin might have had a few women on his side, disturbed her a great deal.

"Ohh! I just remembered! The other day I was out hunting with my soldiers and while walking in the woods I came across a beautiful white horse. It wasn't a magical horse, but it was really beautiful. So I ordered it to be captured. Do you know what happened? The horse was actually a trap! Suddenly bandits attacked from all around and I-"

"Ahhhhh!!! Enough! Just stop it!" Amber couldn't take it anymore and shouted loudly. She covered her ears with her hands.

"Ravus, breakfast hasn't even started and you're jumping from one topic to another like you have lice in your ass! What is wrong with you!?" She had an extremely annoyed look on her face that.

Ravus forced a smile at her sudden outburst and spoke in a tense voice.

"He-hehe... W-We haven't seen each other for a long time, s-so there are a lot of things to talk about."

"I don't care, just shut up! And why are you sitting next to me, don't you see the empty chair over there?" She pointed angrily to one of the chairs on the left side of the table.

Seeing Amber's attitudes, Salina intervened with a stern voice and scolded her daughter.

"That's enough! Where are your manners, young lady? Your childhood friend comes all the way from the capital to see you and look at your attitudes. Apologize to Ravus right now, and don't ever speak like that again!"

Salina was dressed in a simple white shirt and tight black pants, completely different from the way she had looked in her conversation with Edwin yesterday. She had also taken off her jewelry and put her red hair in a ponytail as she always did. In this way, she was in her usual image of a simple and dignified mature beauty. But if someone looked carefully, they could see the makeup she had applied to cover the bags under her eyes from lack of sleep.

"Hmpf!"

Amber turned her head to the side like a rebellious teenager. Seeing this, Salina's eyebrow twitched a little, but she said nothing. Not wanting to scold her daughter any more, she just let out a tired sigh. After that, Salina turned her head to Ravus and spoke in an apologetic tone.

"Ravus, please pardon my daughter. She is being stubborn and rude when she should be happy that her friend is here."

"Hahaha, Lady Salina, it really doesn't matter. I'm already used to Amber's behavior, and besides, I might have been a little annoying too." After saying this, he turned to Amber and continued. "Amber, I'm sorry if I bored you. I was just excited to see you after a long time."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Amber, realizing from Salina's squinted eyes that she was about to be scolded again, quickly turned her head to Olivia and changed the subject.

"O-Olivia! Can you go and check if Edwin's awake? It wouldn't be nice for him to miss breakfast."

Noticing Amber's evasive maneuver, Olivia quickly stepped forward without giving anyone a chance and began to speak in her lively voice.

"As you wish, Lady Amber!"

After her words, she left the room with small steps. Salina, realizing that the subject had drifted away, did not prolong it any further. She pressed the bridge of her nose with her right hand and let out another tired sigh. Her daughter's unruly behavior sometimes really made her feel tired. Even though, Salina tried to soften Amber's rebellious nature a bit, she was unable to be too harsh toward her beloved daughter.

Meanwhile, hearing Edwin's name, Ravus began to clench his hands under the table without anyone noticing. Although the name triggered him, he didn't show it outside. He just focused his eyes on Amber and calmly watched her for a while in silence.

After Olivia's departure, he room fell silent because no one was talking. Wanting to break the awkward situation, Salina coughed slightly to draw the attentions to herself.

"Ahem... Ravus, so your sister is finally engaged to that young champion. I'd appreciate it if you'd convey my congratulations to her."

Ravus turned his head at the sound of Salina's voice and a relieved smile formed on his face.

" I certainly will, Lady Salina! I'm sure your good wishes will make her very happy. Although... I don't think she's in a very good mood these days."

"Yes, I heard you mention it just now, I believe you talked about her complaints about her fiancé. Could you elaborate a little bit more on that? I really wonder how they ended up like this."

"Of course! Actually, it all started when Ayato enrolled in the Imperial Academy of Lothrild. My sister met him at the academy, I think they were in the same department..."

The sounds of conversation began to rise once more in the room. Amber occasionally joined in, but for the most part she just sat and listened with an uncaring expression. And Aveline, who had been standing alone off to the side during their conversation, waited without making a move other than occasionally adjusting her glasses, with her usual apathetic expression.

They talked like this for a while. Then, when the conversation paused, Ravus seized the opportunity and stood up. The women in the room also shifted their gaze to him and began to look at him with wonder.

"Ahem... Lady Salina, I have something important to tell you." Ravus began to speak with a serious expression.

Salina raised an eyebrow curiously at his expression.

"I am listening to you, Ravus. Do you have a problem?"

Ravus shook his head. "Ohh, no, I don't have any problem. What I want to say is more about a good deed, actually."

Ravus took a deep breath after his words and began to speak with confidence.

"Lady Salina, with your permission, I, Ravus Drakoneth, wish to be betrothed to your daughter Amber Redwood."

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